Penn State quarterback Michael O’Connor will transfer from Penn State the program confirmed on Thursday. The news was first reported by Ryan Snyder of Blue White Illustrated.
“We thank Michael for his contributions to the program,” Penn State coach James Franklin said, “and wish him well in his future academic and athletic endeavors.”
O’Connor’s transfer was perhaps expected since summer enrollee Trace McSorley was named the team’s second-string quarterback earlier this season. As a result, a fairly talented O’Connor found himself buried down the depth chart with his collegiate playing career seemingly in the hands of teammate injuries rather than yearly roster turnover.
O’Connor’s future was further put into question as Penn State continued to recruit talented quarterbacks and the eventual commitment and then decommitment of start quarterback Brandon Wimbush. Wimbush backed out of his verbal commitment in October, taking his talents to South Bend and Notre Dame.
Penn State would then bring in a commitment for the Class of 2015 in the form of Decatur, Ind., three-star Rivals.com prospect Tommy Stevens.
Following the departure of Bill O’Brien, O’Connor re-concidered his commitment to Penn State prior to enrollong but opted to go through with his early enrollment after a meeting with Franklin and quarterback coach Ricky Rhane.
Franklin had expressed a desire to redshirt both O’Connor and McSorley this season with D.J. Crook taking over for Christian Hackenberg in garbage time early in the season.
The departure of O’Connor leaves Penn State’s quarterback position with the following players. Each is listed with class and eligibility.
Current
Christian Hackenberg (SO/SO)
Trace McSorley (FR/FR)
Billy Fessler (FR/FR)
D.J. Crook (SO/FR)
Future
Tommy Stevens (2015)
Jake Zembiec (2016)
